04 June 2018

Viral video verdict: Crayfish claw cutting complicated

Making the rounds in international news in the last couple of days is a viral video that is normally described in the headlines this way:

"Heroic crayfish cuts off own claws to escape the pot!"

Crayfish behavior, heat, pain, claws... This is right on target with some of my research. But so far, nobody has called me to break down what is going on in this video.

What the crayfish is doing probably autotomy, not desperate self-mutilation. A crayfish dropping a claw is not like a person ripping off an arm. But the narrative is so good that nobody cares about the science.